Cristina Faludi | Babes-Bolyai University (original) (raw)

Papers by Cristina Faludi

BMC public health, Mar 7, 2024

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, after 3 months from the installation of the state of eme... more Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, after 3 months from the installation of the state of emergency on the territory of Romania, data were collected from 677 students and master's students, to explore the problematic alcohol consumption (AC). Methods The evaluation was done with: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, Strategic Coping Approach Scale and The Freiburg Personality Inventory. The statistical methods used were linear regression with bootstrap procedure, Spearman's rank correlation, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results More than half were affected by depression or anxiety of moderate to extremely severe intensity. The prevalence of problematic alcohol consumption was low: (Hazardous and Extremely Hazardous (2.3) and Medium Risk (10.2). Early onset increases the subsequent risk of problematic AC, compared to women, men recorded a higher AC (p <.01). Anxiety, antisocial action, personality traits Aggressiveness and Somatic complaints had the effect of increasing the alcohol consumption score (p <.01). Significant but weak positive correlations between AC on one hand, and depression, anxiety, stress and antisocial action on the other hand were found (p <.01). Conclusions Probably the prevalence of AC was low as a result of the fact that most respondents were studying in the field of health promotion and as a result of the closure of entertainment venues. This study advocates for the education of youngsters to clearly express their opinions without violating the boundaries of others' feelings (assertive action) and to act prudently in dangerous or uncertain situations (cautious action) since these coping mechanisms were not associated with problematic alcohol consumption. The promotion of positive, achievement-oriented, life attitudes is equally important, as these characteristics of the Life Satisfaction personality dimensions were also found as non-determinants of alcohol-induced problems. The association of problematic AC with antisocial actions as a coping mechanism and high scores on Aggressiveness calls for interventions to educate the younger generation how to acquire and adopt healthy mechanisms to control tensions without resorting to alcohol consumption, more so as

Objective: The current study sought to investigate the association between age, gender, social su... more Objective: The current study sought to investigate the association between age, gender, social support and the psychological wellbeing of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) in Ghana. Method: Cross-sectional data containing information on demographics, social support and psychological well-being (stress, depression, and anxiety), were collected from 107 men and women living with HIV/AIDS. To explore age group differences, participants were stratified by age (< 39 vs. 40+ years). Three anonymous self-administered questionnaires were used, namely the demographic data questionnaire, Sources of Social Support Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42). Results: Correlation analysis revealed that social support was negatively associated with depression, stress and anxiety. Compared with males living with HIV, women reported higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety. Female gender and low social support were significant predictors of depression and stress after controlling for selected independent variables. Older participants experienced higher levels of stress than their younger counterparts. Conclusion: Public health personnel and AIDS professionals may consider further interventions to promote psychological health in HIV/AIDS-positive individuals. More attention should be paid to the social environment of individuals diagnosed with HIV as the quality of social relationships may be particularly important for successful psychological adaptation to HIV.

The European health psychologist, 2014

Background: According to attachment theory, romantic and sexual involvement and commitment to a s... more Background: According to attachment theory, romantic and sexual involvement and commitment to a steady partner mark the transition to adulthood aimed at procreation and transfer of well-being to next generation. The paper explores how quality of relationships with parents - in terms of attachment to parents, stressful childhood experiences and family ties - influences satisfaction in romantic dyads and social loneliness in adolescence - measured in terms of relationships with friends. Methods: From the online Outcome of Adolescence Survey, completed by Romanian students on the XIIth grade in 2012-13, only respondents with a romantic partner and who lived with parents until their 15 were selected. Two logistic regression models were applied to 1259 students, controlling for gender, age-group and economic status of family. Findings: According to first logistic regression, relationships with parents in childhood appeared unrelated with satisfaction in romantic dyad in adolescence. Howe...

International Journal of Social Psychiatry

Objectives: This study had two purposes: to explore the main socio-demographic and medical charac... more Objectives: This study had two purposes: to explore the main socio-demographic and medical characteristics of the psychiatric patients with a history of suicidal behavior, and to identify the main risk factors underlying the suicidal ideation and acts among psychiatric patients, in the light of two recent theories of suicidal behavior. Methods: The study is based on a mixed methodological design. During 2019 to 2021, 65 hospitalized psychiatric patients, who committed at least one non-lethal suicide attempt, were investigated using a questionnaire a scales for data collection. Medical records were used to gather data about certain socio-demographic characteristics and the health status of the respondents. Patients also participated in a narrative interview aimed at disclosing their subjective experiences about their past suicidal behavior. Results: The typical psychiatric patient with a history of suicidal behavior, as highlighted by the quantitative analysis, portraits a young old ...

Relationship between sexual and health risk behaviours and school success is rarely investigated ... more Relationship between sexual and health risk behaviours and school success is rarely investigated in Central-East European countries. The present project studies their impact on the results of the compulsory graduation examination, called Baccalaureate, in Romania. In this follow-up analysis 401 graduate high school students were surveyed. We measured scholastic achievement by means of the indicators of promotion and performance in standardized testing. The self-administered School Success Profile questionnaire included items on health-related (smoking, binge drinking, and illicit drug use) and sexual debut behaviours. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were conducted. Results show that students from rural and deprived communities, those obtaining failing grades in the last semester and involved in an unstable relationship at the sexual debut had significantly increased odds of failure and lower average grades in the final examination, when adjusted for age, sex, religiou...

Journal of population studies, 2016

As a pedagogy, curriculum integration has global and local significance, as the central focus in ... more As a pedagogy, curriculum integration has global and local significance, as the central focus in teaching this way is to enhance students' learning through the vehicle of personal concerns and social issues. These issues and concerns form the basis of a negotiated curriculum of direct relevance to the sociocultural world of young people in diverse settings. The challenge for research in curriculum integration is to investigate the learning process as it unfolds in all its complexity, and the role of the teacher in both scaffolding and promoting students' intellectual, social, and emotional growth. Teachers' professional development in curriculum integration is, therefore, crucial and includes a number of issues, such as: teachers need to recognize and understand the complexity of learning, both their own learning and the learning of children; teachers need to critique their own practice to bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality; and teachers need to make a commitment to power sharing when making curriculum decisions with students. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Background: Suicide ideation and behaviors are directly linked to the risk of death by suicide. I... more Background: Suicide ideation and behaviors are directly linked to the risk of death by suicide. In Romania, as well as worldwide, increased suicide rates were observed in the recent past, more so in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of psychosocial factors, quality of life (QOL), and loneliness dimensions and adverse life antecedents on suicide ideation (SI) and prolonged sadness (PS). Methods: This cross-sectional quantitative research study used a CATI data gathering method to investigate 1102 randomly selected individuals over 18 years of age regarding various determinants of SI and PS. Data were collected in June 2021. Descriptive, inferential, and multivariate statistics were used for data analysis. Results: SI was negatively correlated with all the assessed psychosocial factors, more significantly with family relationships, wealth, health, social relationships, and affective life. Stronger correlations were observe...

Transition to adulthood is a continuous process grounded in the daily choices youth make regardin... more Transition to adulthood is a continuous process grounded in the daily choices youth make regarding the focusing of their energies across the multiple social contexts of family, peers, school, work or romance. This current examines future family‑related plans adolescents might have on the verge of exiting high school and its relation to their self‑confidence, family, peer group and teacher support. An online survey was adminis‑ trated to 3,524 XII th graders. Results suggest that adolescents with high levels of support from their peers are more likely to plan moving with the partner, getting married or having a child in the near future. The level of family support is related to the likelihood of plan moving with the partner or getting married, while self confidence is a significant

In the last decades, European societies have experienced changes in the postponement of the age o... more In the last decades, European societies have experienced changes in the postponement of the age of having a first child, shrinking family size, and increased (in)voluntary childlessness. This report provides a review of the state-of-the-art research in relation to one of the central research goals of Working Package 4: to examine the rise, determinants and societal consequences of childlessness by different perspectives. The report provides an overview of the central macro-level determinants of childlessness among women and men firstly from a quantitative perspective examining trends, relevant determinants and measures. We will then outline the central micro-level determinants of childlessness among women, men and couples by examining core characteristics of childless individuals such as higher education or marital disruption. We then turn to an overview of anthropological and qualitative examinations of the determinants of childlessness and the psychological, social and socio-polit...

BACKGROUNDThere are different ways of defining sexuality. In this study, we consider sexuality as... more BACKGROUNDThere are different ways of defining sexuality. In this study, we consider sexuality as "a central aspect of being human throughout life and encompasses sex, gender, identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy, and reproduction" (Wagner et al., 2005, p. 167). Moreover, sexuality remains an essential part of self, whether or not someone engages in sexual intercourse or sexual fantasy, or even if someone loses sensation in own genitals because of injury (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2000).The holistic definition of sexuality integrates "somatic, emotional, intellectual, and social aspects of human beings in positive ways to enrich and enhance personality, communication, and love" (WHO, 1975). In the hierarchical structure of human needs, Maslow (1943) included sexual activity in the category of basic needs and placed love and connection to others on a higher rank.People's perspectives of themselves and others as sexual ...

Literature suggests that the factors influencing childlessness are somewhat different from those ... more Literature suggests that the factors influencing childlessness are somewhat different from those affecting low fertility in general, but it is not clear how childlessness is associated with individual characteristics and how it spreads across social classes. This study is the first one analysing micro level determinants of childlessness in a plurality of countries (Eastern, Northern, Central and Southern Europe), characterised by diverse socioeconomic and value background, different welfare regimes and varying prevalence of childlessness. The originality of this paper lays in the approach: studying the determinants of childlessness in a gender and a life course perspective (at ages 30-39 and 40-49). Moreover, we seek to identify the factors associated with persistency regarding the decision to remain childless. Our results show commonalities in the determinants of women’s and men’s childlessness, as are the factors behind postponement and definitive childlessness. Also country-speci...

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

During the last three decades, thousands of highly qualified social workers who graduated from Ro... more During the last three decades, thousands of highly qualified social workers who graduated from Romanian universities were employed in the public systems of social work of the European Union. Social group work is studied as a compulsory discipline for undergraduate students. The major focus of our study was the effectiveness of the learning of Social Work Methods with Groups (SWMG) of students, using workshops in a full-time undergraduate program from Romania. We were interested in finding out the perceptions of students about their learning processes and outcomes in the context of teaching the same discipline exclusively in the online medium, due to the pandemic, and in the face-to-face environment via traditional classroom instruction. This study had a mainly quantitative design, covering two academic years between 2018 and 2020 for the two cohorts of social work students. The core analysis was focused on the activities of students at the SWMG laboratories: 50 students in 2020 and ...

In his influential 1998 study, David S. Reher discusses historical differences between countries ... more In his influential 1998 study, David S. Reher discusses historical differences between countries with strong and weak family ties. He focuses on the “Western World”, comparing Italy and the Iberian Peninsula with Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Low Countries, Germany and Austria, together with North America. In this paper, we explore whether Romania, in Eastern Europe, can be characterised as having a strong family system, given the increasingly important role family has played for individual well-being following the end of the socialist regime. We observe a number of similarities between Romania and Southern European countries in terms of behaviours associated with “strong family ties”, opinions on family care and mutual intergenerational support. Differences can be explained in light of Romania’s economic and housing crisis. Overall, it is likely that the importance of family ties in Romania increased after the end of the socialist regime.

Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences

The social work profession was revived in Romania in 1994, when the first generation of universit... more The social work profession was revived in Romania in 1994, when the first generation of university graduates went to the field. However, only in 2011, when the Law no. 292 of Social Work was issued, the framework for the activity of social workers in the rural communities was settled. Although the legislation provided a proper context for the unfolding of a meaningful social work in rural settings, the labor market was far from being able to absorb the great number of needed professionals. On the one hand, the paper intends to present the barriers that marked the beginning of social work in the Romanian rural space. On the other hand, the paper briefly describes the particularities and the opportunities for social work in the rural areas. Also, through the voice of professionals, the main social problems in the countryside are exposed and some possible interventions aiming at the improvement of the life conditions among the villagers are proposed. The study is based on 43 qualitativ...

BMC Public Health

Background: The family is one of the key factors that can contribute to reducing the negative con... more Background: The family is one of the key factors that can contribute to reducing the negative consequences of high-risk sexual behavior. This study examines the influence of parents' communication with children on issues of sexuality on sexual behavior. Methods: The study is based on a mixed research design. In 2013-2014, 1,359 people aged 18-30 years were randomly selected from urban areas covering the main university centers of Romania, and they completed a questionnaire with 60 items regarding sociodemographic data, family, sexual behavior and health risks. Out of the initial sample, 60 participants agreed to participate in face-to-face interviews, using a thematic interview guide. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive inferential statistics, including binary logistic regression. The qualitative data were investigated using thematic analysis. Results: Exploring the issues of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) discussed with parents according to gender revealed that there was a greater concern in families to address issues of sexuality with girls. The manifestation of any form of sex education in the family was positively associated with a healthy sexual debut, both for women and men (χ2 = 7.759, χ2 = 7.866, p = 0.005). The results of the regression reinforced the idea that a lack of sex education in the family decreased the likelihood of a healthy sexual debut, both in women (OR: 0.668, p = 0.018) and in men (OR: 0.605, p = 0.013). In men, receiving information about sex at a younger age (OR: 0.335, p = 0.001) reduced the chance of a healthy sexual debut. Younger women and men were more likely than older women and men to experience a healthy sexual debut [odds ratio (OR): 1.861, p < 0.001 and OR: 1.644, p = 0.015, respectively]. Qualitative results revealed that SRH talks were generally initiated by young people, usually involved a parent of the same gender and often occurred after events in the sexual lives of young people (after first menstruation/after sexual debut). Conclusions: In designing health programs for adolescents and youth, the family should be involved in sex education. Modeling family sex education by gender can produce differentiated effects on the sexual debut of men and women.